Virtual Reality: A Leap Into the Future

For years, people have dreamed of virtual reality technology. The thought of being in whole other world has boggled the mind of people young and old alike. Virtual reality is seen in movies depicting the future, and it looks different every time. Up until now, virtual reality was just a glimmer in science fiction-loving people's eyes. Now, virtual reality has hit the mainstream, and many consumer-grade units will be available in the coming months.

     Virtual reality (commonly shortened to VR) is actually quite a simple concept. The user wear a device on their head which covers their eyes. Inside the device, there is a screen that displays the virtual world that the user is viewing. With the combination of special lenses aimed at the screens, the images being displayed seem like they are actually in front of the user. The VR headset uses motion tracking, usually through the usage of gyroscopes, to move the image according to the user's head movement.

     One of the first prototypes of a virtual reality headset was made by a small company called Oculus. Oculus began their journey by starting a crowdfunding campaign on the popular platform for doing so, Kickstarter. The campaign was a huge success, raising over $2,000,000. The Oculus Rift CV1 (which stands for consumer version 1) will be available for purchase in Q1 of 2016. This will be the first publicly-available virtual reality device. The Oculus Rift started the VR trend, inspiring companies such as Valve, the PC gaming giant, to make their own VR headset.

     Virtual reality technology could have a huge impact on more than just the gaming community, however. The usage of VR technology could help a doctor perform micro-robotic surgery inside a patients ventricles. Looking around the OR room would allow them to see the robot's surroundings and help the doctor repair said ventricles with ease. A video that is recorded to show 360 degrees of an area could make movie and TV watching an awe inspiring experience.

The Oculus Rift CV1 Prototypes

Google Cardboard, a rudimentary form of VR that uses the user's phone as the display